Tribute
by Wega the blue sun
Summary: After a successful campaign Iroh muses about his life and the people he left behind. Prequel to my previous ATLA story.


Tribute 

An Avatar: the last Air Bender fan fic by Wega the blue sun

No copyright infringement intended, only the original characters belong to me. And this fic belongs to me, too.

During the aftermath of a successful battle Iroh muses about his life. Prequel of sorts to my other ATLA fic.

As always after a battle there was a lot of commotion in the camp of the Fire Nation army Iroh commanded. Soldiers scurried back and forth, casualties cried for attention and a few civilians came into view as well. The town had put up a courageous defense for a while, but inevitably it fell to the savage attacks of Iroh's men.

Now the leadership of the town had come to sue for peace and they had brought gifts for their conquerors. A few loaded carts were pulled into camp and soldiers immediately clustered around to take the best bits for themselves. Iroh motioned to his sub commanders and they went to work to distribute the loot according to rank and merit. Tonight the men would receive a share of wine as well, they had fought hard and deserved a reward. Iroh was pleased with the progress of this campaign, the conquest of this land was coming along well.

He walked back to his command tent only to be met by his attendant. "A delegation from the city wishes to speak with you, Lord Iroh", the young man said while saluting. The General nodded. It was all part of the game he played, and he was very good at it. Armies came to conquer and the vanquished came to beg for peace. If it were any other Fire Nation commander but him the entire population would have been put to the sword and the city leveled. But Iroh wasn't blood thirsty, he was satisfied with the advancement they'd made today. "Let's see what they have to say", he said and waved for the attendant to bring the delegates into the tent.

The city's leaders were old men and women. Many of the young people had been lost in the siege and the following battle. Now the elders wanted to save what was left of their people, land and town. Iroh had no hopeful news for them. The Fire Nation he represented didn't believe in self government of the defeated, at best a governor would be installed. The riches of the land would be plundered, the survivors pressed into service to the Fire Nation. Desenters would be summarily executed. It was either complete obedience or total annihilation for the defeated.

Iroh kept the discussion brief and polite and the elders left more downtrodden than they had arrived. War is hell, he thought, especially for those on the losing side. He gave orders to dispatch a message to his younger brother Ozai to inform him of this latest victory. The Fire Lord would be pleased, Iroh thought. The empire's reach was growing and extending every day.

In the midst of the busy camp his thoughts turned back to the city of his youth and the people he'd left behind. He wasn't old yet, but lately he felt as if he aged a year with each day that passed. No casual observer would notice anything unusual about him, his appearance hadn't changed much nor did his words or actions give away his feelings. Unable to confide in anyone he'd kept his most private thoughts and feelings to himself. A General had to make sure his doubts and fears were deeply hidden within so no one would question his abilities or dedication to the cause. Fear was infectious and so was a lack of spirit, Iroh thought as he stepped outside the tent.

Although he firmly believed and applied self-discipline there were rare times when he'd indulge himself by revisiting the past and musing about what could have been. It was a harmless enough sport and no one was hurt by calling up memories.

The source of his troubles lay in the brutal rejection of marriage offer to Lady Fe. She'd plainly told him to the face that she didn't wish to become his wife, nor would she accept the offer his brother had made. She had courage, he had to give her that. Obviously her decision had been a hard one to make, he could tell how distressed she was, yet she stubbornly clung to her choice and there was no persuading her. Nor would she tell him why she rejected him and Ozai. This uncertainty gnawed at Iroh. Was it because of something he'd done? Or was it because he hadn't done enough for her? They'd always gotten along so well, and for some time he was certain that she would become his wife. Naturally, Ozai was convinced that he would be the winner in the contest for the Lady's hand, and her refusal had bruised his ego even more.

On the rebound Ozai chose a gentle and shy woman as his new wife and she was already big with child. Iroh had serious misgivings about the frail girl's ability to stand up to her intimidating husband. Lady Fe was made of stronger stuff, secure in her own person she didn't accept being treated poorly. She really would have made a fine queen, Iroh thought, or a General's wife. Foolish woman, she really could have had it all, Iroh thought and kicked a pebble in the air. A blast of fire disintegrated the small rock and a shower of sparks rained onto the dry ground.

After Fe had left town Iroh threw himself into his work, which wasn't hard to come by. There was always a new country in the way of the Fire Nations quest for power, and the armies rushed out to subjugate anyone in their way. He was glad to leave home, the relationship with his younger brother had become uncomfortably strained. Being refused by the woman both men desired for a wife had driven them even further apart. Iroh chuckled bitterly. And to think that Fe was once concerned about how Ozai and he got along. She was unable to understand that disagreements were inevitable between men of such different characters as he and his younger brother were. The rivalry over her had merely accentuated what each man already felt in his heart of hearts and blood ties weren't strong enough to repair such damage.

It was getting late and he turned back to his private quarters. It had been a mistake after all to reminisce. The wound Fe had struck was still too raw and the slightest touch caused pain. A cup of tea and a session of meditation were in order to calm his troubled spirit, Iroh thought. Raucous laughter and obscene jokes pulled him out of his gloom. A large throng of soldiers was assembled in the middle of the camp and Iroh sped up to see what was going on. The soldiers parted as they saw their commander approaching and a group of young people from the town became visible.

Tribute of another kind, Iroh thought. Defeated people knew that soldiers wanted more than food and loot, they also hungered for companionship of the most basic kind. In order to keep the Fire Nation soldiers from taking by force what they wanted and unsure of their conquerors preferences the elders had brought in the most attractive young men and women they could find. The young people were decked out in their meager finery and fear was plain on their painted faces, they dreaded what was expected of them. Their fate was not to be envied.

Iroh knew he had to accept this gift of the city, it would be unwise to refuse it. Some of these people could be held as hostage to assure the good behavior of the city folk, but most would be distributed like the loot on the carts. All resources were precious and slaves were highly valued as rewards for faithful service. He motioned to a commander he recognized in the crowd. The man understood and set to work.

The commander of the army finally made it back to his private tent. It was late and he was tired. As he entered the sleeping area a noise coming from the bed startled him. He assumed a battle stance and shouted for the intruder to give himself up. A slight form rose from under the covers and Iroh realized that this girl was yet another tribute from the elders. He sat down at the edge of the bed to get a better look at her. She was very young, very pretty and very scared. He smiled gently to put the girl at ease. "Can you understand me?" he asked. The girl only stared at him and pulled the blanket up all the way to her pointy chin. Her clear green eyes stared at him. Fe has green eyes, Iroh thought. But while Fe's eyes usually sparkled with confidence this girl was obviously terrified. Someone had taken great care to make the girl as appealing as possible, he mused as he noted her lavish jewelry and carefully made up face.

Still, he wasn't interested. She was almost a child and his thoughts were occupied by another woman. Iroh called for his attendant and patted the girl's sweaty hand. "Don't worry little one, no one will harm you" he said. He gave a few orders to the attendant and retreated to give the girl some privacy to get dressed. A few minutes later he returned and slipped into the empty bad. A slight warmth remained where the girl had been. He pulled up the covers and closed his eyes. A good commander needed to know when to be ruthless and when to be merciful and today he'd been both. His thoughts drifted back to Fe. He missed her company, her witty conversation and her musical skills as much as her exiting presence in his bed. Maybe tomorrow he'd write her a letter, just to see how she was getting on. For old times sake he would make sure she'd be all right. While her refusal stung he would be the greater of the two and do the right thing. Maybe one day he'd find out what her reasons were and maybe one day he would be able to change her mind, he mused. It was worth a shot, and he had nothing to lose.


End file.
